The Sky Below Us
by DarkWolf Publications
Summary: A homeless, blind teen in Venice meets two sisters on the boardwalk: One warm like sunshine, the other colder than ice. After being taken in, he finds his apparent paradise is anything but. He and the girls struggle against everyday life; from abusive bosses to collecting dealers. In the end, he's not the only one who needed saving. Modern AU. Drug use, self harm, language, sex.
1. Chapter 1: Ain't got no shoes

Venice beach, California. A crazy place full of equally crazy people, where only the ordinary really stand out. It should come as no surprise then, that wedged in between the fire-walker, the stoners on their longboards and that _one_ crazy guy (Yeah, you know who. If you've ever been to venice, you know who) there was a homeless blind teen with torn up sneakers, sitting comfortably against the wall of a music shop with a large can in front of his and a cardboard sign.

 _Today is a beautiful day and I can't see it,_ the sign read. _So help a bum out. Money will be spent on food, weed, or a combination of both. You've been warned. (Ps, I asked someone to write this for me, so yeah, I'm actually blind.)_

It was a rather big sign, and the last part was on a whole separate square of cardboard that the teen had taped to the first. With a sigh, the teen leaned back and exhaled upwards. Over his eyes he had a pair of scratched up black aviators. A grungy, multicolored Obey beanie with a pom was pulled down around his ears, keeping the sea breeze out. He wore several layers, first a blue Nirvana shirt, then red flannel, then a black hoodie, then a blue jean vest with various pins strewn across the front. His black jeans had a few rips here and there, but the item of his outfit that was the worst off were his shoes.

They used to be brand-new DC skate sneakers. The black and white shoes were torn up, missing rivets and laced with grimy strings. Hell, both the soles had holes where his feet, clad in ripped white socks, peeked out. The stitches were coming out and the rubber was a horrible off-white.

The teen himself was tanned nicely for spending so much time out in the sun. A shaggy mane of jet-black hair fell all the way down his neck, nearly to his shoulders. Despite needing a wash, it still fell in feathery layers. The kid looked kinda like a blind, homeless version of Elijah Wood. His right hand clenched the signature red and white 'long cane' while the left ghosted over his inner thigh, tapping out a rhythm that only he could hear. He let himself be carried away in other people's voices and conversations as he waited for someone to approach.

"Hey, bro, are you going to the party? I heard…."

"I swear dude, she was a fucking ten!"

"Idiot! I said Monday, not Wednesday! Now I'm going to have to rehash my…"

"I swear, I'll be home soon…."

"Yeah, I know. The asshole dented my fender. I hope to god he has insurance, but he looked like one of those illegals…"

"I don't fuck with that Lego shit, nigga. I'd rather step on a…."

"... please? C'mon, Elsa, he looks so sad sitting over there by himself!"

"I said no… probably a scam. A blind person couldn't write a sign." The teen perked up as he heard footsteps coming in his direction, moving erratically. Hell, it sounded like someone was being dragged over. His hand picked up its tempo as the footsteps came to a halt, right in front of him. He heard the rustling of fabric as someone bent closer.

"Hi there!" _A girl's voice_ , he thought. She sounded around the same age as he did. It was light and pleasant, full of energy. Just those two words made him wanna smile and babble on about snowmen for some reason.

A groan came from his left, another woman. This one sounded much older, maybe mid to late twenties. "Anna, don't. You could just give him the money, without starting a conversation." That voice was much more reserved, cold and distant… like ice.

"Don't be rude, Elsa!" A pause followed and the teen imagined the girl sticking her tongue out with a slight smile. "You're a real ice queen sometimes," the girl said, and from the sound of fabric rustling and rubber on concrete he could tell that she was facing him again. He raised his left hand in a two finger salute.

"Yo." His own voice was husky and rough, belying his lanky stature. At least the teen thought he was lanky, he couldn't really see himself anymore after all. He _felt_ lanky. "S'going on, princess?" In the background he heard a long-suffering sigh. Not that he was focused on that… no, he was far more focused on the fact that someone had just sat down _next_ to him.

No one sat next to him. After all, who'd wanna hang out with a homeless teen? He probably smelled awful, the only showers he used were the public ones at the beach.

"My name's Anna," the voice said with almost unreal peppiness. The boy received a friendly slug on the shoulder and started in surprise, turning his head to the right, in the direction the blow had come from. "Ignore my sister, she can be a little frosty sometimes."  
"Just realistic," the faintly snobbish voice protested from afar. Still, footsteps came closer and the boy got the impression of someone hovering over him.

"You know it's true," Anna protested. "I mean, can't a girl just have a conversation with a friend?" Arms looped around the boy's, and he found a body being pressed up against his arm. He hid his grimace and fought the urge to shift away… he was used to people not touching him, and the sudden contact was kinda an overload for his enhanced senses.

"And now you're touching him," Elsa said in that regal way of hers. The sound of a shoe tapping impatiently sounded from directly in front of him, canvas against concrete. "I'd hardly call him a friend, you know. The both of you have hardly exchanged two words."

"Not true," Anna protested, her tone shifting from pleasantly teasing to slightly petulant and mischievous. It made the boy wonder what she was planning. "He said four words, exactly."

"Six, if you count the two you said to me," the boy added with a slight smirk. His voice felt like canvas jeans; rough when you first get them, but after awhile you break them in and they're just as soft as silk.

"Yeah, see!" He felt like she was looking directly at him and fought the urge to flinch away. Even being blind, he could feel the stares, the judgement they brought. Still, his sign _did_ say he had the propensity to purchase a certain herb with his hard-begged money. "He didn't even get a chance to say his name, which he would've if _you_ hadn't interrupted us." The voice carried a slight undertone of accusation, prompting a sigh from the girl in front of him. Much to the teen's amusement, he pictured a non-descript business-woman rubbing her forehead in annoyance.

"I don't use my real name anymore," he said with a soft grin, his lips barely parting so he could draw breath in a whistling fashion. "but everyone calls me Delphi." A dry chuckle for a break before he continued. "Y'know, cause I'm blind and I can see the future…"

"Really?" A gasp sounded from his right as the girl released his arm in shock. "You can see the future?" From the front, the sound of flesh meeting skin in a soft slap. A smirk crossed Delphi's face as he realized the woman in front of him just facepalmed.

"Of course not, Anna. God, do you have to believe _everything_ people say?" Irritation floated across the surface of Delphi's skin like the kiss of a razor and he found himself shivering, despite all the layers he was wearing and the fact that it was seventy-five degrees out.

"Well at least I believe in _something_ ," the girl shot back with a little venom behind her words. "You should try it sometime. Oh, sorry, I forgot the supernatural doesn't figure into your _logical_ view of the world."

"You're right," the voice persisted, the edge to it's tone sounding more like weariness. "It doesn't." Delphi felt the teen girl next to him tense up and to avoid further drama he gently stretched out his right arm, approximately hovering in front of the girl's chest. "You know, there's really only one way to find out." His words acted like a balm, soothing the tension between the two sisters for the moment being. He tilted his head back towards where he thought Elsa stood. "Want me to tell your future?" he deadpanned. Hesitation rolled off the woman in waves as he moved his arm towards her, palm up and out.

"You want money?" A snort of derision that cut deeply. "I'm not falling for that scam, thank you."

"I was asking for your hand," Delphi persisted, "not your handout." Slowly but surely he felt a hand descend into his, smooth and silky against his roughly calloused palm as the world around him faded.

A queen's hands, skimming against a peasant's.

With practiced motions he flipped the woman's hand palm side up and traced his fingers across it, his touch lighter than a feather. His head tilted upwards, and he let the sun kiss his tanned skin.

"You play piano," he said suddenly. Her fingers were long and slender, yet there was muscle beneath the deceptively soft skin. "It's the one thing that comforts you whenever you think of your parents, your job, your sister, the stress you're fielding. Like a river spilling into the ocean, you spill your soul onto the keys and become a part of something greater if only for a while." The soft intake of breath told Delphi that he was right. Not that he ever doubted himself, of course. "But you came for me to talk about your future, not about the past… Still, I'm sorry about your parents. That ship, by all rights, shouldn't've sank." Beside him he could feel Anna stiffen, disbelief lacing the air along with a deep sadness that tasted like water from a mountain lake; freezing cold and shocking to the system.

As he continued to skim her palm, he traced the lines on her wrist, purposely stroking his thumb across them. "The road ahead is going to be rocky and difficult. Love will prove elusive. If you truly want it in your life, you will have to fight for it." he withdrew his hands from hers and offered a slight smile. "On Tuesday you're going to be promoted to district manager, if that helps." Delphi rubbed his palms together and wiped them on his stained jeans as the world around snapped back into focus with a resounding pop. He grimaced and clenched his left hand into a fist, reaching for his cane. "Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear… I'd better go, huh?"

"That…" the woman trailed off, unable to reconcile what she'd just experienced with her worldview. "How did you know all that?"

"I _told_ you he could see the future!" Anna yelped brightly, the anguish she'd been giving off moments before now buried under her natural bubbly self. "He even looked into your past, our past!" On it's way to his cane Delphi's hand was intercepted as the back of Anna's hand was thrust into his palm, and her right wrapped around his wrist. He fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Are you sure? I don't bullshit readings… You might not like what I have to say."

"Of course!" she insisted, bringing her hand up to what was eye level, for her at least. "C'mon, I wanna know!" With a sigh, the blind teen slid his right hand over her left, searching for answers.

"I…" he bit his lip and fidgeted… yet he had to tell her. "You're not a joyful as everyone thinks," he started. "You bottle up the hurt, the pain. You release it later with less than conventional methods." His hand fled her palm and traced her left shoulder, seeking out the scars beneath the fabric. "I don't think smashing up old textbooks is an answer," he covered quickly, lying to protect her… it wasn't his business, not really. "You will find love… and then it will become betrayal. You will be wounded in the depth of your soul… but in your darkest moment, you will be saved. Love will come again, remember that. You must give it a chance." _Funny how both readings are about love,_ he thought to himself as he withdrew his hands. "Also, you're going to completely forget about Ms. Wiedermann's project on Monday and have to wing the presentation by yourself." Silence as the girl struggled to realize that there was one person who could see her scars.

"That's amazing!" she said, burying the doubt and self loathing under some more happy-sounding words. "Elsa, did you see that?! He totally called it!" A pause, and the teen imagined a frown crossing Anna's face. "Man, I actually better get to work on that project."

"Anna, I think we should go." Delphi felt bills being pressed into his palm. _Fifty dollars,_ he knew. What he couldn't see was if Elsa gave them to him out of kindness or out of fear, to end the conversation and run far away from the boy who'd just shattered her ideas of reality.

"No, wait!" Arms encircled Delphi's right and he was hoisted to his feet with surprising strength, barely managing to grab his cane on the way up. "You can't just leave him out here! It's supposed to rain later tonight and he doesn't have a place to stay!"

"I'll be fine," the teen said as he bent over and collected his sign and can. Around the corner was his duffel bag, and he deposited both in a fluid motion, hoisting the black bag onto his shoulder. Oh, he knew it was black. He bought it specifically because it was.

"Nope!" With some surprise he found a finger pressed against his lips in a familiar gesture. "You don't get to argue, mister. You're coming home and that's it. But first..." Delphi found himself being dragged along the sidewalk despite the protests of Elsa that Anna steadfastly ignored. All of a sudden he jerked to a stop and was turned around, presumably facing a storefront. "C'mon!" The dragging resumed for a few moments until he was pushed down onto a bench. He felt the wooden floors through the holes in his ratty old sneakers and he raked his toes across it, trying to dig furrows he'd never see. He head some rustling, boxes being taken out of racks, examined, then replaced. Eventually Anna found what she was looking for, and grabbed Delphi by the arm again, only to be stopped by her older sister.

"Stop dragging him around like a toy," she said as her hands deftly disentangled the two. "Anna, you can't be serious…" the two drifted away to where the teen assumed the counter was to continue the argument. He absentmindedly wondered what sort of strange adventure he'd been dragged into… and how it would all turn out. Silently, he began drumming out a rhythm on his thigh, singing along softly.

 _Are you ready to make some noise?_

 _Are you ready to make some noise?_

 _Are you ready, are you ready, are are you ready to make some noise?_

The drumbeat of his thumb against his thigh shifted as his words did, taking on an entirely new distinction and meaning. Delphi sang, no longer paying attention to the sisters… if it didn't work out he could easily crash on a bench.

 _With the lights out it's less dangerous_

 _Here we are now, entertain us_

 _I feel stupid and contagious_

 _Here we are now, entertain us_

 _A mulatto, an albino_

 _A mosquito, my libido_

 _A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial_

 _A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial_

 _A denial_

Footsteps, canvas and rubber against the plywood flooring. Someone moved closer , and he stood up, not facing either of the women on his left, choosing instead to angle his head towards the ground. Silence ensued and to his surprise, Elsa was the first to break it.

"I suppose…" A pause in which the disenfranchised teen imagined her looking away and trying her best. "I suppose you can stay." Anna squealed and Delphi found himself being lifted off the floor in a bonecrushing hug. _Damn…_ Arms pinned awkwardly to his sides, he endured the hug until Anna saw it fit to put him down, fidgeting awkwardly when she did.

"Sorry." He could imagine the blush, creeping across her cheeks. "Here!" A box was thrust into his arms, and carefully he opened the box, feeling the light wrapping paper and brushing it out of the way. His fingers skimmed across new, factory tied strings and fresh, unbent rubber. A smile crossed his face as he lifted new shoes out from the box. Crosstrainers, he knew, as he sat down and unlaced his crappy old sneakers, stuffing them into the now empty box. Delphi carefully removed the crinkly paper from inside the shoes, tossing it into the box as he slipped into his new footwear with ease. They fit like a glove… and he wondered how Anna knew as a few silent tears streamed down his face.

"Thank you," he managed, sniffing and raising his arm to wipe away tears. "You don't… this means a lot." Wordlessly, an arm circled his and helped him to his feet. This time he was allowed to set the pace, his cane skirting the ground as he walked the path leading to his new life.

His old shoes were dumped in the first trashcan he found.


	2. Chapter 2: Settling in, shifting down

Well I'm going to take this space to rant about something. This rant is rather important though, so I'd prefer if you didn't skip it.  
I've noticed an annoying trend on ff lately. A story will have metric tons of views, followers, and favorites, only to have one or two reviews. Even this story suffers from this plight; Five followers and not a single person cared enough to leave a review. I had to engage in a game or review tag just to get _one_ on this story.  
I'm not asking for a damn paragraph, alright? Literally four words, 'I liked this story', would suffice as a review and hardly take time out of your day. I'm not asking for the sacrifice of your firstborn child or your social security number; I'm asking for some goddamn common courtesy.  
If you read it, make some time to post a review. It takes, at the least, ten seconds out of your day. It helps us authors improve and grow as well as alerting us to things that the community wants to see. _**YOU**_ have a voice along with the right and duty to use it. Otherwise, why the hell should I write this damn story if I don't get any feedback? Why the hell should I sacrifice my precious time to painstakingly build a world that no one cares about? Fuck that. I'm not gonna keep writing if I have to put up with this bullshit.  
Just four words, people. You don't have to write the fucking Magna Carta. Take the time out of your day and thank all the authors you read, not just me, for creating a story you enjoyed.  
~Kole (Zeta)

* * *

A few blocks later and Delphi was still revelling in the feeling of his new shoes. Just the idea of not feeling the ground scrape against his calloused feet was alien, but actually experiencing it made the whole day seem unreal. In all honesty, he was more thankful for the shoes than the fact that he would have a place to sleep. Benches suited him just fine… but only an idiot would turn down the offer of a real bed.

Or a couch. A couch would be wonderful. He could already imagine the way his legs dangled over the side, gently sweeping across the floor as his head reclined into a cushy pillow, a soft blanket covering his arms and chest, a comforting heat escaping every time he shifted a little bit.

"So Delphi," Anna began from his side. The teen cocked his head towards her, to hear better as they moved down the semi-busy street. A whiff of coffee reached his nose as they passed what sounded like a small cafe. He lost himself in the slow chatter as a question came his way. "How long have you been… well, you know."

"For awhile," he answered with a tiny shrug. "Since I was thirteen." Delphi didn't specify why he'd been kicked out and fidgeted a little bit just thinking about the subject. "I'm seventeen now." A gasp from Anna, and behind him Elsa's steps faltered as she stiffened in surprise. "It's not all bad," he rushed out… the last thing was pity. Ironic considering he accepted their money, a pair of shoes, and the offer to stay at their house. "It blows when it rains, but this is California… that hardly ever happens. But I bought an umbrella a few years ago… no need to worry about that." He shrugged with his right shoulder and half-smiled straight forward, as they passed an alley and the scent of tobacco assaulted his senses. Delphi looked away, to his left, and pulled his shirt up and over his nose. Sea spray, sand and a faint musty odor blocked out the offending smoke as his cane skirted the ground in front of him. "Sorry," his muffled voice said from inside his shirt. "I can't stand cigarettes."

"No, it's fine." Disgust has evident in Anna's voice, and he imagined her wrinkling her nose and glaring at the smokers was they passed. "I totally get you."  
"Yeah…" He reached under his glasses to rub his eyes, which still watered a little bit. "So, what street are we on?"

"Speedway," Elsa said from the back, her pace picking up so that she stood on his left, slightly ahead now. "We live on the corner of thornton and speedway."

"Oh. I've heard the view is great from there." Despite how hard he tried, a note of wistfulness still managed to creep into his voice as he thought about the beach at sunset; shades of pink and orange streaking the sky like a watercolor until the light sunk into the sea and night made the sky look like a backlit canopy, with holes punched in it.

If he could have his vision back for one moment, it would be during sunset.

"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck and jammed his left hand into the pocket of his hoodie, fumbling around until he removed a piece of a gum, popping it into his mouth and feeling it crunch under his teeth. Spearmint exploded inside his mouth as he chewed. "I don't mean to sound like such a loser."

"You're not!" Anna protested, and he got another slug in the shoulder for his trouble. "Don't act like it's not normal for you to want to see!" Delphi just blew a bubble with his gum and popped it with a quick snap of his jaw.

"I try not to think about it," he responded softly. "Still, it pops up in the back of my mind once in awhile." Feeling a gentle tug to the right, he turned and followed, his cane clacking against some metal that he guessed were gates or fences. Another tug to the right and Anna spoke up.

"There's some stairs… are you okay with those?"

"Yeah, I'll manage." He reached out and let his left hand skim against the metal railing, clenching it like a lifeline. Hesitantly, he took raised a foot and felt around in the air until his new sneakers bumped against stone. Cautiously he lowered it, and when he felt solid ground underneath he took another, and another. Eventually, he reached the top, which he knew was the top because when he took another step his foot came down too high and landed awkwardly. A sea breeze ruffled his hair, and he took a moment to breathe it in, mouth slightly open. He could almost taste the moisture… it was going to rain later. The sound of jangling keys sounded from next to him and he turned towards it, both hands grasping his cane as the door clicked open. Silence, and he wondered if Anna was smiling at him. He smiled back.

"Home sweet home," the girl said as he took a few steps forward. "But you might wanna watch the-" Delphi flinched as his forehead bumped the top of the doorframe. "-door."

"Damn." A hand gently grazed the doorframe, and he blinked as a sudden image popped into his head. A shower, small and with a glass door instead of a curtain, the sides packed with all sorts of soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. Rubbing his forehead, he stooped down to make it inside.

Despite the mint pervading his senses he was still able to catch the faint smell of sandalwood incense that the condo gave off. He gently removed his shoes, tucking them under his arm, and spread his feet across the wooden floors, enjoying the cooling feeling that rushed up his toes. His arm was taken captive again by the bubbly girl on his right.

"Oh, there's way better stuff in here! C'mon, lemme show you around!" Without protest, he let himself be dragged around the house, nearly tripping over what might've been a table.

"Anna," the woman said from back at the door. Her voice carried the sense that she was scolding a child for jumping on the bed. "You could at least take it slowly."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Again, he imagined a blush crossing the girl's face and waved it off, shrugging like he wasn't completely disoriented and a little confused.

"Nah, it's cool. I get it. As long as we don't sprint-" embarrassment rolled from Anna in waves, dulling the mint flavor in his mouth. "-I think I'll figure it out." Re-shouldering his duffel bag and collapsing his cane, he began to feel his way down the hall, fingers brushing across drywall and picture frames as well as the occasional door. Anna's room smelled like peaches and vanilla, and there were posters across the front of her door. Elsa's no-nonsense room smelled like pre-packaged coffee grounds, printer ink and manilla folders. A confused frown flitted across Delphi's face as he wondered just what the hell a manilla folder smelled like.

"So, what do you think?" He straightened up as he reached the end of the hall and came face to face with emptiness, his hands finding air instead of plaster. He imagined Anna smiling brightly, and figured that this was where the glass doors/windows were.

"Beautiful." That word summed up his impression quite nicely, as he imagined looking out at the beachfront. "Thanks for taking me in… honestly, I probably wouldn't have taken me in." He turned to his left, from where he could hear the hum a of a fridge, and began feeling around the kitchen. A teakettle was left on the electric stove, the water inside long cold. Cabinets above his reach contained plates, glasses, and tupperware. The drawers at waist level held utensils, foil, plastic bags. He nearly cut himself in the knife drawer, but made it out alright. "So, you guys by yourselves?"

"Yeah!" Footsteps, the sound of socks against wood, the humming growing louder as the fridge was opened and Anna began rummaging around inside. "Pretty sweet huh?"

"I'll say." Fingers floating across dirty dishes in the sink, a soap bottle, a dried-out sponge and an empty dish rack. You go to school here or what?"

"Senior year at VHS," Anna answered as glass clinked against plastic and made a hollow sound. The fridge shut and the microwave beeped as she put in time."You?"

"Kicked out at thirteen, remember?" He chuckled as she stopped moving, embarrassment lacing the air again. "It's cool, I did eventually manage my GED. Don't sweat it." He moved away from the kitchen and felt his way across the secondary living room, bumping into wicker chairs with embroidered cushions and a glass table in the small dining area. "Not that I could get a job anyways." A frown formed on his face as he realized he'd have to get one if he planned on staying long.

He hated interviews. The silent judgement, the weighing of the way you sit, talk, act. The stares that went right through you and the rejection, that he was sure, had nothing to do with 'a lack of qualification'.

How qualified do you have to be to work at a McDonalds anyway?

"I'm sorry," Anna started, but he put up a hand as he sank into the second couch, now facing away from the window. "No thanks. I don't need that sort of thing, if you don't mind… plenty of people heap their pity on me and you shouldn't be one of them." he placed his duffel bag on the floor, unzipped it, and put in his shoes and cane. "I play with the hand I was dealt, you know?" Fingers glid against a pill bottle, and he hesitated for a second before moving on. He wouldn't do that yet, instead stripping off his vest, beanie and jacket, placing them in as well. He zipped the bag and straightened up, relaxing into the soft cushions.

"Tell me about yourself." The microwave beeped and the aroma of re-heated pizza filled the small space he was in. Soon after, Anna sat down on his left, a little close for his liking. Nothing he could do about it though, there was no more room on this couch. A clattering sound, plastic on plastic, and then a remote's button being pressed. The tv came on, a newsperson blabbering on about the weather.

"Well I wasn't born in america," the girl said in between bites of pizza. "You ever heard of Arendelle?"

"Uh…" His mind went back to eighth grade geography class, a small country that barely fit into eastern Europe. "Yeah."

"Well, that's where I'm from. Tiny little country in the middle of nowhere. Our parents moved out here when I was two so I don't really remember the place. I think California's way more fun anyways. Let's see… I'm a cheerleader at my highschool, I like warm hugs, my favorite pizza is pineapple and bacon, I _love_ Wiz Khalifa-" she paused and Delphi got the feeling she was looking at his raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing. I just took you for more of a 1 direction type of girl." Anna scoffed and chomped down on more pizza, flipping the channel again. This time it was a cartoon.

"Do I look like an eighth grader?." Delphi got a slug in the arm for his troubles, and he rubbed his left shoulder with a slight smile on his face.

"Well I have no idea what you look like," he shot back, grin wider. "You could be a little kid for all I know." Whatever he expected to happen, he was not ready for a pillow to the face that knocked his glasses off.

"Serves you right," Anna teased. "Maybe without those you can see me better." Delphi rolled his eyes and seized the pillow next to him, preparing for a counter-attack.  
"Attacking a defenseless blind boy," he teased back. "I don't know how you sleep at night."

"Like a baby," she said, with another elbow. He imagined that there was a bright smile on her face as well; he could certainly hear it in her words. He waited until he heard her plate clink against the coffee table before hitting back. Anna squealed adorable laughter, and soon enough the pillow war was on. Her hits came towards Delphi, fast and furious like a boxer going for the knockout. His attacks were more calculated and methodical, like an archer calmly firing at a target. More of his blows hit then Anna's did, and he couldn't resist making fun of her a little bit.

"The blind guy's more accurate than you are!" He shouted as his pillow came up and out, getting Anna in the ribs before he ducked back down and dodged her blow. "How does that work?"

"Quit moving and let me hit you!" Delphi shifted the the right just as a pillow breezed by his face, once, twice, blowing locks of hair out of his face and revealing his eyes for a split second. Then his hair went back in place, covering his golden orbs completely. He took three quick steps back and stepped to the left as Anna's pillow went sailing by his head. A smirk spread across his face as he pictured her with her mouth hanging open. The rustling of fabric, and he imagined her folding her arms across her chest. "Okay, how?"

"I foresaw that you'd try and toss the pillow at me." He gave her an impish grin. "So, I adjusted accordingly." Silence and he pictured her mouth hanging open even wider.

"Okay, I'm not even mad because that is _so_ fucking cool!" She squaled and he could imagine her arms pressed together, fists under her chin with a starry look in her eyes. "What else can you see?"

"Well, when I bumped my head on the doorframe I saw that your shower was totally cluttered." He felt around for the back of the couch and hopped over, sinking into the canvas cushions again and reaching for the remote, thumbing the change channel button like he could see exactly what he was doing. "On thursday you're gonna order chinese takeout-" a shiver ran down his spine and he reminded himself that he'd need his own food on thursday: to Delphi, chinese food was the bane of human existence. "-and you should probably get a plumber to look at the leaky bathroom sink before wednesday rolls around, otherwise this place'll be flooded." The tv was now playing a movie, about a man looking for his kidnapped daughter, so he put the remote down and listened, patting the seat next to him. His feet swung back and forth, skin sliding on the cool wood and sending shivers up his spine. "I don't usually talk this much about the future," he continued as Anna sat next to him and leaned on the other couch cushion. Her being so close was a little strange, but eventually he got used to it.

"Why?" she asked as the sound of hair rustling against couch curtains followed. He figured that she was looking at him, and he shrugged, still staring straight ahead, eyes hidden behind a curtain of hair. "I'd do it all the time, you know, to help people!"

"It's not that simple," he said as a firefight broke out on the screen in front of him. "The future isn't completely set in stone, but some things can't be changed, you know. When you struggle to avoid your fate you often end up running right into it." _I wonder if she'll get that._

"So like fixed points?" He turned his head in her general direction, with surprise written on his face. "I watch Doctor Who," she explained. "It's only like the greatest show ever."

"True dat." He stretched out his fist, and the girl on the left bumped it. "I used to watch it all the time."

"We've got netflix!" Anna exclaimed, tossing an arm around Delphi's shoulders as a commercial talked about lowering cholesterol levels. "What was the last episode you saw?"

"Uh, Matt Smith had just been introduced as the new doctor," he answered. Anna giggled with glee and he heard the sound of her hands rubbing together eagerly.

"Oh, Delphi my friend, you are in for a treat. It's a three o'clock on a friday, and we're not sleeping until we catch you up!" She proclaimed energetically. He sighed and reclined his head onto the pillows, grinning slightly as the all-familiar theme music started playing.

At some point Anna had fallen asleep on his shoulder, snoring softly, arms wrapped around him like he was a teddy bear. He fidgeted uncomfortably, but didn't want to move for fear of waking her up. He couldn't even reach the remote to turn down off tv, so episodes just kept playing one after another in an endless stream. He was enjoying catching up on the show, though. _I had no idea… the Doctor, married? Insanity up in this bitch._ He was so caught up in the adventures of Matt Smith heading into the heart of the TARDIS to abort a timeline that he almost didn't hear Elsa's door creak open, her tired steps coming down the hall. He pretended not to notice as the cabinets opened and closed, a stopper popped out of a bottle, and liquid sloshed into a glass. The sound of an empty glass clinking against a countertop and the faint smell of whiskey. Another glass was poured, and he could hear her shift, moving in his direction.

"Anna…" a sigh and the sound of a body sinking into a chair. "You're entirely too trusting… see the good in everyone. What were you thinking? I love you to death, but sometimes you're too kind. Even if I get that promotion, we can't just let him leech off of us. We're living comfortably now, but with another mouth to feed-"

"You might have to give up your cable package," he interrupted. Elsa started, her chair scraping against the floor. "I don't plan on being a leech." His thoughts shifted back to the pill bottle in his bag, "I can make money… probably more than you if I wanted to."

"Doing what? Pushing dope?" Delphi flinched, and for a second he thought she could see right through him. He wasn't all that complex, so he wouldn't be surprised if she could. "I read your sign."

"Playing the lottery," he shot back. "I mean, not the big one, I can never see that one. But the scratchers and stuff, I can play those all day every day. It adds up… I could probably pay rent if you want me to."

"Why didn't you do that on the street?" She questioned him, testing the truth of his statement, a knife seeking to separate the fat from the lean. Silently, he hoped he wouldn't get cut in the process.

"It wouldn't be for me. Whenever I try to 'see' for myself, it isn't as clear as it is for others. For example, if I paid you with scratcher money I'd probably be able to see them at least twice a week. If I just wanted money, I might only see one once a month. I'd honestly rather get a job." His right fingers drummed against his knees and he thought about the pill bottle again. "In fact, I'll start looking for one, yeah?" The woman sighed, and he could swear that the temperature lowered a few degrees.

"No, don't rush yourself…" A pause and he imagined her raking a hand through her hair, looking exhausted with the world around her. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm more stressed than usual at the moment. I'm usually more in control."

He chewed his bottom lip, having spat out his gum long ago, and turned his head, brushing hair out of his eyes and staring right at her. "You know, sometimes, too much control is a bad thing." He could feel resentment at that statement, just a hint poisoning the air. "It's not good to prevent yourself from feeling… that's what makes us human." A dry snort from his left, punctuated by the sound of someone taking a swig of a drink.

"So you're a blind, fortune-telling psychoanalyst?"

"I'm just some kid," he countered. "A kid who's had a whole lifetime of experience crammed into the past four years." A response he was waiting for never came, instead hearing another gentle snore. With a sigh, he gently disentangled himself from Anna, grabbed the remote, and pressed the power button before resuming the role of human teddy bear.

He woke up to the sound of Daft Punk playing softly through speakers. Stretching, he found that Anna was still asleep on his side and that some drool had gotten on his shirt. He shrugged her off and laid her gently on the couch, peeling off his shirt and stuffing it in his bag, moving around where he assumed the chairs were and towards the kitchen, where the music was playing an something was cooking.

"You cook?" He asked, reaching out a hand for the fridge and opening it, rummaging around inside.

"Someone has to. What are you doing in the fridge?"

"Looking for…" he opened a drawer with some fumbling and managed to grab a peach, shutting the crisper and closing the fridge. "This. I had a few last night, they're my favorite." An explosion of flavor filled his mouth, almost enough to drown his morning breath. Still, he needed to brush his teeth… and pick up his glasses, wherever those were. "I just never pictured you doing the whole cooking thing." How on earth could he explain that he felt like this woman should have servants doing everything for her? That she was used to being waited on, hand and foot? _Nah, better to keep that to myself._

"Someone has to do it." Her reply held no venom, just truth in the form of blunt honesty. "Anna doesn't get up until eight, usually."

"How early do you get up?" He asked, feeling his way around the the other side of the counter and causally attempting to sit on a stool. He managed it, with a little difficulty, and took another bite, the sticky sweet flavor of the peach assaulting his senses… it was almost enough to make him cry. As it were, he settled for a slight smile as Elsa started mixing something together in a bowl, the sound of metal scraping plastic filling the small place along with the sizzling of bacon on the stovetop. If he ignored the peach, he could nearly taste the smoky meat on the air.

"You're the clairvoyant," she replied to the sound of cracking eggshells. "You tell me."

Another heavenly bite of peach, and Delphi closed his eyes and concentrated for a few moments, opening them with a sigh. "So that's why there's a coffee-maker in your room." He tried angling his eyes in her general direction, knowing that if she glanced up, she'd be shocked long enough to listen. "That's not healthy."

"I-" her words stopped and he knew that she'd seen his eyes… they were unusually colored to say the least, part of the reason why he wore the glasses, and why he always had his hair in his face. If he had to describe the scene, he'd paint it from the right side, using the cabinets as a divider: Elsa, on one side, bowl cradled in her arm and left hand wrapped around the whisk, frozen as the bacon sizzled on the stove. On the other, himself, feathered black hair in his face, just parted enough so that his amber eyes would peer through, meeting hers.

It was at that moment he realized had no idea what either of the sisters looked like. That was one of the parts of being blind he never got used to. He just imagined them as… well, the more he tried to focus on the mental image he'd constructed of the two, the blurrier it got.

"You need to get more sleep… and stop drinking so much coffee." He tilted his head forward and let the curtain of hair hide his eyes again. "But then again, it's not my business. I don't pay rent, and I'm not your dad." He shrugged and finished off his peach in two succinct bites, rolling the seed around in his palm, feeling it's wrinkled skin. "Just a thought, a random musing."

"I don't try to get up that early," she said with a sigh accompanied by the sound of fresh batter hitting the pan with a sizzle. "But I end up working so late most nights that going to sleep would be pointless."

Delphi cocked his head. "It's the weekend, though. How much work can you really have?" A pause, before he received his answer. "Oh. That's a lot… your boss must seriously hate you."

"You don't know the half of it," the tired woman replied. "It's like no matter what I do, it isn't good enough." The sound of a drawer sliding open and Delphi tossed the seed in that direction. It landed perfectly in the trash, rustling the plastic bag and thunking as it hit bottom. "I hope what you said about the promotion is true… I could use a break."  
"I'm never wrong," Delphi assured her with a half-grin. "Actually, I'm right so much it hurts." His hands drummed lightly on the countertop, pounding out a beat in time to the radio. "Never took you for a Daft Punk fan."

"It's relaxing," she replied. "I find Random Access Memories has some of the most soothing tracks. The vibe they give off is the furthest thing from stressful."

He arched an eyebrow at Elsa. "You just used the word vibe in a sentence where the sixties was not mentioned once… I'm not sure if that makes you sound old or awesome." A laugh came from the area of the stove and Delphi flinched, startled. _I actually got her to laugh…._ "You laugh?"

"Occasionally," came the dry reply. "I'm usually too busy with work." The sound of the oven door opening before a steaming mug of something was suddenly pressed into the teen's hands, and he sniffed it before gently taking a sip. A piping hot, rich chocolatey flavor assaulted his senses.  
"That's depressing," he responded. "Thanks for the hot chocolate… I didn't smell it cooking."  
The sound of the oven door closing abruptly, like someone kicked it shut. "That's because the pot's in the oven to keep it warm."

"A whole pot?" Another sip of the god-like drink that warmed him from the inside out, and Delphi gently rested it on the countertop. "Now I know why Anna's hyper all the time." Another genuine laugh and the teen figured he'd just used up his luck into the next century. _Maybe she has split personalities or something._ "I'm glad that I can amuse you."  
"You have to do something worthwhile around here," the reply came. Delphi could hear the smile in the woman's voice and was not at all offended, offering a light chuckle as the sound of clicking tongs and clattering plates filled the small kitchen. "I'm still not entirely sure this is happening. A homeless man-"

"Teen," Delphi corrected, sitting back on his stool with a slight smirk, fingers drumming in sync against the mug he gripped with both hands. "Thanks for the vote of confidence though."

"Teen," the woman admitted. "is here, sitting in my kitchen. I just met you yesterday and now you're shaping up to be a permanent resident, if Anna has her way. On top of that, you claim to be an oracle with an inclination for a certain illegal plant."  
"I'm not an oracle," he said. "I'm not sure what I am." He looked down at his mug and felt trails of steam kiss his face as they floated upwards and spread the chocolate smell around. "This is pretty weird for me to. I woke up yesterday and the only thing I saw was that I'd stay dry. I never imagined something like this would happen, y'know?" The teen leaned forward and rested his elbows on the solid counter, sipping from his mug again. "Thanks, for what it's worth. I've got your fifty lying around somewhere," he gently placed the mug down and reached into his pockets, fumbling around until he felt the crisp bill nick his thumb. It was quickly produced and laid on the counter, the teen picking up his drink again.

"Anna would kill me if I took that back," Elsa said from the stovetop. Plastic scraped against metal and the sound of pancakes being flipped was accompanied by the sizzle of batter.

Delphi jus shrugged and picked up the bill again, extending his arm into open air. Those regal fingers just brushed his as he felt the bill leave his grasp. "It's simple, then: we don't tell her."

"Tell me what?" The sleepy question was punctuated by a yawn on Delphi's right, and he jumped in his seat before cocking his head in Anna's direction.

"I didn't hear you get up," he said, slightly shaken. "How…?" _Sure, I was preoccupied and listening to Elsa, but there's no way she should've snuck up on me like that!_

"Huh? I dunno," the girl yawned as her arms descended around Delphi's in a sleepy hug. "Mornin' Hans. Where's my kiss?"

The clairvoyant teen almost spit out his hot chocolate. Elsa, for her part, dropped the tongs, metal clattering against wood as Doin' it Right played softly in the background. The girl didn't seem to realize her mistake because a second later a pair of very soft lips were pressed against his.

To be fair, Delphi's lack of resistance was born out of shock. Every single muscle in the teen's body was frozen, locked up as his brain shut down to preserve vital data. Thankfully, while his system was undergoing a hard reset Anna came to her senses and realized what she was doing, jerking away with a gasp. Somewhere in his brain, Delphi registered the sound of hands clapping over someone's mouth.

"OhmygoshI'msosorryIdidn'trealizeyouweren'tHansandI'minawholelotoftroublearen'tI?"

A stern voice that emanated authority came from the kitchen. It reminded a half-conscious Delphi of that one nun at an all-girls catholic school, basically interrogating him when he came to visit a friend. "I thought we already talked about this, Anna."

"I know, I know! But it's my senior year and I might never see him again and I think he's the one! Can't you at least give him a chance?!"

"4chan party van," Delphi said, finally rebooting. He tried not to shrink under the glare he got from Elsa and failed miserably. He could feel the twin laserbeams trained on his neck, burning like alcohol rubbed over an open wound.

"First," she began, the sound of fabric sliding against skin indicating that she'd folded her arms, "I told you Anna, no dating until you're eighteen. Second, what van?" Delphi had the grace to look and feel embarrassed, mumbling something about 'dank memes' to himself and swearing at someone named 'moot'.

"But that's so unfair!" Anna whined, the nasally-high tone of her voice making Delphi clap hands over his ears and wince more. "You haven't even met him and you're already acting like he's some good-for-nothing player who's just looking to score!"

"Score drugs? I could hook him up." The glare intensified as both girls looked his way and the teen put his hands up. "Okay, unfunny joke is unfunny and poorly timed. Just trying to lighten the tension here." He reached for his mug and sipped more of the divine liquid inside, cringing inwardly. _Note to self, stay away from family drama. This is not the internet. No anonymity to hide behind when you say somethin' stupid._

"He could win the Nobel Peace prize for all I care." The clairvoyant in the room shivered, feeling the temperature drop several degrees and tasting the bitter dregs of anger from both sisters, wills clashing. "I said no."

"Ugh!" Delphi imagined Anna throwing her hands in the air as she stomped loudly out of the room. "Just because you didn't have a social life doesn't mean I shouldn't have one!" The girl yelled as a door slammed, rattling the pictures on the wall. Delphi winced as resentment drifted out from the room and cut him like shards of glass. Elsa sighed and the teen clairvoyant put out a hand, miraculously reaching her shoulder. They both flinched a little at the touch.

"She's a teenager, she'll get over it," he promised. "Take it from me."

"You're still a teenager." She countered as Delphi pictured a wry grin crossing her face. "How would you know?"

"I'm an old man in a teenager's body," he said with a chuckle. "As corny as it sounds, the streets force you to grow up fast, even more so when you're blind." He tapped his temple with a finger, "The clairvoyant thing kinda helped. I can tell whenever people tried ripping me off by giving me the wrong change."

"Really?" The sound of pans going in the sink as the last pancakes were stacked onto a plate.

"Yeah, whenever money's involved I know how much someone's giving me, or how much I have. It's weird but I'd make a great accountant." He rolled his eyes and leaned backwards a bit, just enough to make it feel like he was falling into empty space. "I also didn't have to bother with learning braille. After I went blind I kinda just knew." He added a finger waggle at the end of his statement as he felt disbelief coming his way. "2 spooky 4 you?" he asked.

"I'm having trouble believing nearly everything you say," the woman admitted with a sigh as hands gently came to rest on the counter. "Well, it seems like it's going to be just us at breakfast today. What would you like?"

"Everything you can fit on your biggest plate," Delphi answered unabashedly. "All I had to eat yesterday was a burger, popcorn, and three peaches. I'm hungry af right now."

"Af?" The woman questioned as he heard her

The teen rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly abashed. "As fu-"

"Got it," she replied, cutting him off. He didn't know quite why, but he pictured her blushing suddenly. A plate clacked against the counter in front of him, a fork and knife wrapped in a napkin poking his left hand. "Eggs at six, bacon at nine, pancakes at three and syrup at twelve," she said curtly, as a stool was pulled out next to him. Surprise was written on his face as he picked up the utensils and began drowning his pancakes in syrup.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" The teen asked as he tore into his food with a ravenous gusto. Elsa made a little noise that indicated surprise and slight disgust but Delphi was too hungry to care.

"I read it in a book once." Her fork and knife clinked delicately against the plate, a slow, methodical pace compared to his speedy, unorganized form of basically shoving everything in this mouth at once and inhaling the food. He managed to down three pancakes, four strips of bacon and all of his eggs before he came up for air and washed it all down with hot chocolate. The clairvoyant immediately went back to gorging himself until there was nothing left on the plate and his hot chocolate mug was empty.

"Ahh," he said, pushing the plate away to lie on the cool stone countertop. "That hit the spot."

"You ate seven pancakes, ten pieces of bacon and six eggs," Elsa's voice held some degree of begrudging respect. "In under two minutes. I can't believe you were telling me that _my_ habits were unhealthy."

"It's the best meal I've had in like two months," Delphi said from the countertop. "You're a really good cook, by the way. God-tier." He flicked a thumbs up, and the silence told him that she'd probably nodded.

"Thank you." The statement was rushed out which confirmed his guess about the nod. He waved a hand in her direction.

"It's cool that you nodded. Don't sweat the little stuff." He chuckled as a faint sense of embarrassment pervaded the room, picturing again some non-descript business woman with a flush across her cheeks. "Mind if I look at your face?" he asked suddenly, turning in his seat to face the woman on his left and hesitantly stretching out his hands.

"With… your hands?" A note of anxiety crept into her voice at the prospect. Delphi resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Uh, yeah…" his outstretched fingers curled back into his palms hard enough to leave little half-moon imprints. "Sorry, that was forward." When hands came forward and cupped his he flinched, not expecting the contact. Gently they were raised upwards until his knuckles bumped against her chin and he slowly began to trace the lines of her face. A soft chin, smooth and flawless skin. He gently brushed her lips and felt her shiver at the contact, warm breath kissing his fingers. A button nose that he had the strangest urge to flick in teasing. Her eyes fluttered shut and he gently traced those, adding them to the picture he was slowly building. It finished when the tips of his fingers grazed her hairline and he quickly felt over that, feeling weird as he did. _Usually I just ask about the hairstyle. The hell is wrong with me?_ He found a braid wrapped into a bun and his hands retreated, clasped together awkwardly in his lap.

Fittingly, he was also the first to break the silence that had developed between them. "Wow. Didn't know I was living with a supermodel."

"I…" he could feel her struggle for words and looked away, blushing. "That was unexpectedly intimate."  
The blind clairvoyant flinched away from her words. There was almost an accusation in there, like he'd seen something he wasn't supposed to. "Sorry."

"It's… it's okay." Silence so loud he could hear his own heart slamming in his chest as he slid off the stool and made his way over to his bag.

"You mind if I use your bathroom?" he asked as the familiar sound of his various belts clinking against each other came from inside the bag that he rummaged around in. "I need to brush my teeth and shower."

"Go ahead." she still seemed a bit shaken and so he decided to leave off and quit while he was ahead. He followed his nose, seeking out the room that smelled like a mix of fruity soaps. The door clicked open with a twist of the handle and he stepped inside, dropping his bag and pushing the door shut with his foot before sitting down and rummaging through his bag for a change of 'fresh' clothes.

Fresh meaning they'd been washed in those communal tanks the scuba divers used to clean their gear with the hand soap provided in the bathrooms and dried with the sun. Still, it was better than having them be completely dirty. The bag wa pretty neatly organized, with different articles of clothing folded different ways, so it was easy for him to pick out sweatpants, socks, briefs, and a sleeveless hoodie he knew for a fact was burnt orange with a chest pocket.

The chest pocket had a bit of leather over the edge, a brand name. Stripping quickly, he grabbed his toothbrush and paste, squirting a bit of toothpaste onto the brush before tossing the tube back and stepping into the shower. It was a weird habit he'd picked up from seemingly nowhere, one that he reflected on as he twisted the knob and allowed steaming hot water to run over his skin and fill his mouth.

Delphi could care less what soap he used as he washed the dirt and grime away.


End file.
